NBI-7 files additional charges against man nabbed for gun smuggling

Jhefferson Higoy, an alleged gun smuggler, is arrested in Lapu-Lapu City last July 2, 2021.

Cebu City, Philippines—The man nabbed for alleged gun smuggling will be facing additional charges from the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7).

Aside from Illegal Possession of Firearms, Jhefferson Higoy, who was arrested in Lapu-Lapu City last July 2, 2021, will also be charged for Falsification of Public Documents and Usurpation of Authority.  

During a press conference on Tuesday, July 6,  NBI-7 director Attorney Renan Oliva said that during their investigation in coordination with the Regional Community Defense Group (Army Reservist Group), they found out that Higoy, bearing a captain position as army reservist, is technically a “fake” army reservist. 

A certification sent by the ARESCOM Reservist Personnel Management Center in Camp Riego de Dios in Tanza, Cavite, dated last July 5, 2021, revealed that there is no Captain Jhefferson Higoy in its main database. Instead, they found one enlisted as an army reservist with a rank of sergeant assigned at the 701st Cebu Community Defense Center last November 25, 2020. 

However, upon their background check, NBI-7 found out that the documents of Higoy in his application for an army reservist were all fake, including his Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) certification, which is one of the requirements in applying for an army reservist. 

“When we were investigating this case together with the Philippine Army, it seems that he was enlisted as reservist sa Philippine Army with a rank of sergeant, definitely not a captain. Yan, foul na yan. Bawal na,” Oliva said. 

Further background check also revealed that the documents Higoy submitted were not true, including his claim of being a licensed Mechanical Engineer. 

“So, he is not a captain but a sergeant. But it was later discovered that the certification that he gave in his application for reservist in the Philippine Army was fake. He said he was a  mechanical engineer but in truth, he is not. So he misled his application, there was malice in submitting these documents claiming to be such when in truth, he was not. He was misleading the Philippine Army when he gave his application,” Oliva added.

During the operation last July 5 in Saekyung Village, Barangay Marigondon in Lapu-Lapu City, Oliva said Higoy claimed he was also a Mechanical Engineer and even showed his Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) identification card. But the certification NBI got from PRC revealed that he is not authorized to practice Mechanical Engineering here. 

Also, the university Higoy claimed that he went to to take up Mechanical Engineering  said that they didn’t have Higoy’s name in their list of students and that they do not offer the said degree in their university. 

With this, the RCDG will conduct an internal investigation for Higoy’s submitted documents for an army reservist position. 

For his part, Colonel Melisan Raymund Recaido, group commander of the RCDG, said that they did not receive reports of abuses done by Higoy. But he said that the reports of him wearing the reservist’s uniform and bringing a firearm in public is against their duties as an army reservist. 

“We don’t issue firearms with reservists except during training. The confiscated firearms were all illegal kasi walang mga papeles yun. It is the police of the command na iisuehan lang yung reservist natin during training kung kailangan ng firearms … after the training isasauli,” Recaido said. 

Recaido said all four confiscated firearms from Higoy were unlicensed. 

Oliva said that these confiscated firearms will be subjected to ballistic examination to determine if these were used in illegal activities. 

Meanwhile, Oliva encourages the public to report to them suspicious individuals posing as an official of a law enforcement agency.

/bmjo